Bubble deck construction



May 6, 1941.

A. S. BRUNJES BUBBLE DECK` CONSTRUCTION Filed Apil 25, .1940

34d/ IZ f column or the like.

Latenten! May 6, 1.941

UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE 4 .l z,z41,114 *Y f Austin-S. Brandes, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to The l Lummus Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application anni z5, 1940serin No. 331,544`

1 Claim.

to a bubble deck construction embodying an improved sealing means for use in a fractionating v is necessary toV prevent leakage ofthe rising vapors past the joinder 'of the deck and the-co1- umn. Since this leakage, especially if permitted to become substantial in famount. mayserlousIy affect the eiiiciency of fractionation for which fractionating column,

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the column was originally designed. it becomes 1 essential 'to' provide a tight seal whereby the rising vapors are compelled to pass entirely through the liquid trapped on each deck. s

section of the bubble deck is utilized in providing the necessary vapor-liquid contact.

Further objects and advantages'of my invention will be apparent from the following description thereof taken in connection with the attached drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view takensubstantially along the line I-l of Fig. 2

of a fractionating column provided with my improved bubble deck construction;

Fig.- 2 is a partial horizontal cross-sectional view (withbubble caps removed) of my improved bubble deck taken along line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the details of the sealing construction embodied in my improved bubble deck.

In accordance with my invention, I provide for a vessel a transverse partition embdying my improved sealing construction. This sealing con- Under the usual conditions of fabrication, the

column may vary slightly from true roundness in its finished condition; as a result, the bubble Y decks, when positioned in the columnas by means of bol-ts, rivets, or the like, do not form a tight seal with the column wall. Although this v defect may be overcome by welding the decks struction includes a flange attached to the periphery of the transverse partition and adapted to support a packing material placed between the vessel wall and the peripheral portion of the transverse partition. A plurality of spaced pressure-applying means secured to the transverse partition by adjustable members serves to compress the packing material to the desired extent.

Preferably, a follower-bar is provided to be incolumn. Substantially all of them are open to the objection that the proposed construction is too complicated mechanically or that the expense of theseal disproportionately increases the initial cost of the column. In some cases, .the

area on the bubble deck available for the bubble caps is materially reduced whereby the capacity 'of thecolumn to handle vaporsis adverselyaffected and the proper-spacing ofthe bubble caps to secure the lnecessary contact between vapors it is used whereby substantially' the entire cross-l serted between the packing material and the pressure-applying means so that the packing material is subjected to substantially uniform compression throughout.

A feature oi' my invention is the provision of the pressure-applying means within the periphery ofthe/transverse partition. Such construction` permits the packing material to be confined in' a Y materially smaller space. Furthermore, with such construction, .the pressure 'reaction is entirelytaken up by. the transverse partition itself, and the packing material is compressed against the supporting flange' and l radially against the column and the peripheral portion of the transverse partition. A` more positive pressure is thusapplied to the packing material. Although it will be apparent that my invention can be embodied in any type of vessel which is equipped with a transverse parti-tion, I'prefer to describe it in connection with fractionating column construction. l lAs a preferred form of embodiment of my invention, I have shown a portion of a customary fractionating column I! of substantially circular cross section, provided witha plurality of spaced bubble decks I2. These decks I2 may be equlppedvwith any suitable type of liquid-vapor contact device such as a bubblecap consisting of a vapor riserv I4 and a cap portion II. Each deck is also provided with one or more downiiow pipes I8, here shown screwed in bosses I 8 in the deck, which establish the liquid level on the deck and extend to a point below the liquid level on the nextlower deck. It will thus be apparent that the vapors flowing upward as well as the liquid flowing downward must follow a predetermined course.

As the principal eature of my invention, I provide an improved means for sealing the decks I2 f with respect to the column III. This includes a gasket or packing'material 20 which is placed between the nominal periphery 2| of the deck I2 and the inner wall of the column I0. Each deck, at its outer periphery, has a downwardly extending flange 26, the outer surface 2I of which becomes a sealing surface opposed to the column wall. At its lower edge, the flange has an out- 20 wardly projecting lip-like extension 21, which serves to support the packing material 2li. The outer diameter of lip 21 is sufllciently less than the diameter of the column to afford clearance so that the decks l I2 may be readily inserted in the 25 column I0.

The packing material may be asbestos rope or the like; it may be used in one piece if desired, or it may be built up in several layers as shown..

In contact with the packing material 2li is the 30 ring follower-member 30, which may be split or continuous but is atleast long enough to 4eoniine the packing material 20 and is rigid enough to maintain it under uniform compression.

A plurality of clamps Il, spaced at intervals about the periphery of each deck, serve to hold the ring 30 in fixed position on the packing material. A stud 3B passes through each clamp and engages a boss 38, whichis preferably formed in the deck I2 contiguous with ange 2'8. The spac- 40 ing of the clamps and the rigidity of the ring l0, are such that suiiicient pressure can be applied to the packing material 2l to compress it to the desired degree of tightness. Lock washers 39 or the like may be used to maintain the studs in the desired position. Preferably clamp $4 is provided with a ange a along its inner edge and with an opening somewhat larger than the stud crosssection so that adequate pressure'can be placed on the packing material 2l.

The decks are supported by any desired means.

VIn Fig. 1, for example, spacing rods 40 may be l conveniently screwed into bosses 4I in the re- -viding clamps at spacedy intervals to hold the packing material in place, the bubble caps can be placed on the deck so that those about the periphery may actually extend over the sealing means. Thus, the entire cross-section of the column can be eifectively utilized. Such a construction is particularly valuable in a column of small diameter wherein it is essential to use the entire' surface area of the deck and the available space for positioning the sealing means is extremely' limited. For example, in one 18 column that was recently built, my improved sealing means was the only'one found applicable to eiiectively seal a ai!" peripheral space between the deck and the column.

Several modiiication's of my invention will be readily apparent. Although I have described the invention in connection with a vessel of circular cross-section, it will be obvious that it may also be used in a vessel of other` cross-section. Undercertain circumstances it may be desirable to install the transverse partition in a position inverted to that shown, in which case my improved sealing arrangement may be used without substantial alteration. It will be understood that means may also be provided to x the transverse partitions in position without departing from the scope of the invention.

Although I have described a preferred form of embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent that modifications may be madethereto Without departing from the scope and spirit of 'the invention; therefore, only such limitations as appear in the claim appended hereinafter should be imposed.

In combination with a fractionating column of relatively small diameter, a bubble deck extending to the inner periphery of the column, means to support the deck in said column, and means to seal the periphery of the deck with respect to the column comprising a continuous peripheral ilange projecting downwardly from the plane of the said deck and forming a sealing surface, an

G0 engwins said adjustable members to compress a tight seal which effectively prevents the flow of vapors past the periphery of the bubble deck. Moreover, since the sealing means-is entirely concentrated at the greatest radius of the bubble the packing material against the said lip and radially against the interior of the column and the sealing surface of the flange.

AUSTIN S. BRUNJES. 

